Life Unexpected
by EstrellaQueAdmiro
Summary: It's been ten years since Sam quit the life after Dean abandoned him in a hospital. He has a home, a job, a dog, and a false leg. His life is simple, and he likes it that way, until a 15-year-old girl shows up from his past and changes everything.
1. Chapter 1

Sam hadn't slept again. Sleep had been difficult recently, he had too much on his mind. Paperwork, too many employees were leaving, and the little matter of it being close to ten years since he'd arrived in this town. Ten years since he'd last seen his brother. Was Dean even still alive? Sam wasn't even sure if he wanted to know.

He'd tossed and turned in bed so much that his dog, Lady, had been whining and complaining from the disturbance. He'd sat up in bed, stroking her fur and soothing her to sleep as if she were a child. Sam read for a little while, and finally was able to sleep for a couple hours before his alarm sounded. As usual, the dog leapt up and started barking, pawing at her best friend and nudging him with her nose.

"Alright, alright, I'm up," Sam chuckled, grimacing as she started licking his face, "Let me get ready, then."

Lady jumped off the bed and carefully picked up Sam's prosthetic leg and brought it to him, tail wagging. She always did it, despite it being close enough to be manageable for him. He always appreciated the gesture.

"Thank you very much," he grinned at her, "What would I do without you?"

As if in response, she rested her snout on his knee, tail still wagging and eyes wide and puppylike. The ex-hunter scratched her ears lovingly and stood up, heading to his closet to get ready for the day.

After a quick breakfast, he took Lady for their morning walk, just a couple blocks away to their local park. Lady proudly carried her favourite toy, a stuffed moose, the only stuffed animal she hadn't chewed to shreds, so Sam could throw it for her once they got to the park. Once she was tired of playing fetch, the pair took a break at their favourite bench. As usual, Lady jumped up onto the bench to sit beside Sam, paws on his lap. The bench was special to Sam. He'd always taken Eleanor out to the park for some fresh air, almost every day until she passed. It was her favourite place and that was her favourite bench too, right by the duck pond. She'd loved feeding the ducks. Every year on her birthday, he went out and fed the ducks in her memory. Maybe he'd take his godchildren, her grandchildren, to feed the ducks there one day.

The weather had been awful but Sam went to feed the ducks anyway, two years ago. Rain never phased Eleanor. Nice weather for ducks, she'd always said. He still missed her, even after all these years. She helped him heal, she gave him a home. He wouldn't have got this far without her. He could hear something whining or crying, and looked to find a tiny, shivering puppy, soaked to the skin and very thin. He'd reached toward it, not wanting to scare it. It backed away, but eventually approached him and nuzzled his hand. Sam lifted the animal and took off his jacket, wrapping the puppy in it in an attempt to warm it up.

No one knew where she came from, but no one claimed her. Sam had grown fond of the dog, and so took responsibility of her. He took her home and cared for her around the clock, even bringing her to work with him. She sat at his desk and slept on his knee, and would follow him around the place. She'd tug at his pant leg and run around his feet, tail wagging so hard she could barely walk properly. Two years later and she'd grown considerably, a clumsy, funny dog but undeniably Sam's best friend. She went with him everywhere, he still joined him at work everyday, and he adored her. He didn't know what he'd do without her.

Sam smirked as Lady nudged his face with her nose, licking his cheek, "I love you too, sweetheart."

He kissed her head and pushed himself up, "Guess we'd better get to work."

"You're here early," Sam looked up to see Louise, one of his regular visitors to his workplace.

"Lady likes her morning game of fetch," Sam grinned, looking at the little girl in the stroller, "Hi, little lady."

The dog perked up and wagged her tail excitedly.

"Not you," Sam looked at her in amusement, then back at the toddler.

"You gonna say hi to Sam, Maisie? You were asking about him this morning," Louise ruffled her daughter's blonde curls. Maisie giggled shyly and hid behind her stuffed cat.

"That's a nice cat you got there," Sam knelt down by the stroller, "Is that your favourite?"

Maisie nodded, "Kitty."

"Kitty's definitely her favourite," Louise smirked, "We thought we'd lost Kitty last week, this one nearly deafened me from screaming."

"I can imagine," Sam chuckled, "Lady has her favourite toy with her too. Will you show her, girl? Show Maisie your moose?"

Lady eagerly picked up her moose, holding it proudly.

"It's all slobbery!" Maisie giggled, "Silly doggy."

"Well, she's gotta hold it in her mouth, right? She doesn't have any hands," Sam grinned, stroking Lady's fur.

"We'd better let Sam get to work, sweetie," Louise smiled, "Say bye to Sam and Lady."

"I want to play with doggy!" Maisie pouted.

"We'll see them later, okay? It's storytime day, right?"

"It sure is. I think Marie is bringing cookies too," Sam said enthusiastically.

"See, sweetie? We'll drop by the library later for some stories and maybe a cookie if you're lucky," Louise smiled at her daughter, "Maybe you can pet Lady too."

"Oh, Lady loves being pet," Sam looked to his dog, "Don't you, sweetie?"

He gently led her so she was close enough for Maisie to reach, and the little girl squealed excitedly as she patted the dog's head.

"Hi doggy!" the little girl squealed, "Mommy, doggy's fluffy!"

"I know she is. She's a nice doggy, isn't she?" Louise raised an eyebrow at Sam, "And I think her owner is trying to put off going to work."

"I'm doing no such thing," Sam grinned, "But you're right. I should go."

"We'll see you later," Louise helped Sam get to his feet, "Save us a good spot."

"Of course," Sam waved to Maisie, "I'm sure Lady would love to give you a hug later, Maisie."

"Yay!" she squealed, and Sam went on his way. He packed his lunch, and Lady's too, and walked two blocks to the library he ran.

"Go on then," Sam let Lady off the leash so she could 'inspect' the place as she always did. She ran around the aisles, tail wagging excitedly. Sam shook his head in amusement and dropped off their stuff in the break room. He already had a message on the phone, someone calling in sick. Great. They were already short as it was.

He walked back out and found Lady trotting around the kid's section, making sure everything was in order. She looked up and wagged her tail at the sight of him, knocking over a display by accident. The sound startled her and she ran to Sam, whimpering.

"What am I going to do with you, huh?" Sam laughed as he went to clear up the mess, "That tail is dangerous."

Someone came in and instantly Lady went to see who it was.

"Oh, hello there, Lady! How lovely to see you!" Sam's assistant manager, Marie, exclaimed, "Where's your handsome prince?"

Sam rolled his eyes with an amused smile. The majority of his workforce were sweet old ladies who all simultaneously cooed over him and adored him like their own son. He couldn't say he complained, he'd never felt so loved before.

"Over here," Sam called, finishing up the display.

"Good morning, sweetie!" Marie smiled at him, carrying a large tin, "I have the cookies as promised!"

"Perfect. Not looking forward to cleaning up the mess though," Sam smirked.

"I'll take care of that, don't you worry, my duck," Marie squeezed his hand, "And I'll make sure Lady doesn't get her paws on the crumbs."

"Good morning, you two," Marie's sister-in-law, June, smiled at the pair, kneeling down to pet the dog, "Or should I say, you three?"

"Did you both have a good weekend?" he took the tin of cookies from Marie, misjudging its weight. His bad arm gave way, and both women rushed and grabbed the tin before it fell.

"Disaster averted," June laughed.

"You haven't been doing your exercises, have you?" Marie tutted, "Your poor arm isn't going to get any better if you don't keep doing your exercises! Am I going to have to watch you do it everyday?"

"I just forget sometimes," Sam shrugged, "It's not a big deal."

"Oh, what are we going to do with you?" Marie sighed in exasperation, her hand on his arm, "You're looking thin."

"I'm fine!" Sam smirked.

"Look at him, June, he's wasting away," Marie squeezed his arm lightly.

"Leave him be, Marie," June rolled her eyes, "Though you do look thinner, Sam. Maybe we do need to fatten you up."

"I'll bring you some dinner tonight, alright? You relax, you're working so hard. I'll cover dinner. And if you're _really_ good, I'll bring a slice of apple pie for you too," Marie smiled at him, light blue eyes sparkling.

"Well, I guess," Sam said dramatically, but in honesty she made the best apple pie he'd ever tasted, "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Marie took his hand, "Now get down here so I can hug you properly. You're double my size!"

The ex-hunter laughed and knelt down, pulling her gently into a hug. She kissed his cheek and patted his back.

"You know I just want you to look after yourself," Marie murmured.

"I know," Sam looked at her a little seriously, "Thank you."

June smiled at the pair of them, "Next she'll be finding you a wife."

"Don't give her ideas," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Right, c'mon. Sherri called in sick today so it's just us, and Brenda once she-"

"Oh, Brenda told me to tell you she can't come in today," June ran a hand through her thick grey hair.

"Is she sick?"

"She thinks her granddaughter might go into labour today," Marie piped up, "So, just in case."

"Is she a vital part in the birth or something? Why can't she come in?" Sam frowned.

"Oh, Sam. You'd understand if you'd had children, like I told you to," Marie put her hands on her hips, "You never listen to my advice. It's not too late, you know!"

"Oh, give it a rest, Marie. After what the poor man's been through, I don't think that's his first priority," June put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "Brenda told me to tell you she was sorry."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to manage," Sam shrugged, "And forty-five is a little too late to start thinking of having kids, I'd say."

"Oh, don't be silly. You'd be a wonderful father! Don't you think, June?"

"I think we should probably get to work, that's what I think. We're opening in five minutes," June said matter-of-factly, "What needs doing, sweetie?"

With Brenda, the resident storyteller, anxiously waiting at home for the upcoming birth of her great-grandchild, Sam found himself being the replacement. June wasn't particularly fond of children, despite having had four of her own, while Marie was so excited at the prospect of Sam reading stories that she refused to do it herself. Of course, it happened to be the busiest storytime day they'd had in a while, with all of the regular families as well as some newcomers. It wasn't that Sam disliked kids, he just, well, a little awkward reading stories in a dramatic manner.

"Uncle Sammy!" his godson, Jake, ran at him at full speed.

"Woah, careful, buddy," Sam laughed, catching him and managing to lift him up above his head, despite his arm shaking, "Good to see you too."

"Hi, Lady!" he squealed, and Sam safely put him down so he could greet the dog.

"What have I told you about lifting him up?" Jake's mom, Amanda, laughed, "Your arm isn't strong enough."

"He hasn't been doing his exercises either!" Marie said, shaking her head as he walked past.

"Really? Are you determined to not help yourself?" Amanda smirked, lifting her week-old daughter from the pram, which Sam took aside for her, "Sam, you're only going to make it worse if you over-exert it."

"It's fine," Sam sighed, "Just gets a little shaky sometimes!"

"Yeah, when you're putting too much weight on it," Amanda gently rocked the baby, looking at him sympathetically, "I get it, okay? It's frustrating. But it's never going to get back to full strength. Ten years and I thought you knew that."

"Alright, alright. I'll be more careful, okay?" Sam smiled at her, "Now can I invite you to take a seat for my storytime extravaganza?"

"Yours? Wow, is Brenda not good enough anymore?" Amanda laughed.

"Nope. Waiting on her great-grandkid to be born. Not sure that's a valid excuse to not go to work, but I'm not a monster," Sam grinned, "So it's me. Don't get too excited."

"Lady! Fetch!" Jake said excitedly, throwing his own shoe for the dog to chase. Lady bounded after it excitedly, catching it in her jaws.

"Uh oh, Jakey. I don't think she's gonna want to give that back," Sam chuckled.

"He's determined to get rid of his shoes, I swear," Amanda rolled her eyes.

"I got it," Sam knelt down to his dog, "Lady…c'mon. Drop it."

Lady wagged her tail, rolling onto her back, the little shoe still in her mouth.

"Oh I see how it is," Sam chuckled, giving her a belly rub until she dropped the shoe at his feet, "I'll wash it up after storytime."

"I swear he's acting up more since Ella was born," Amanda sighed.

"Hey, it's all new to him. He's used to having you and David all to himself. He'll get used to it," Sam looked to the little boy, wearing only one shoe and chatting away to Lady, "And you know if you ever need a break, just give me a call."

"Thank you," Amanda smiled at him, "Speaking of a break, there's a little time before you enchant us all with your stories. Will you take your goddaughter for a bit? I'll take Jakey around, hopefully burn up some of that energy he's got."

Sam walked around the place, greeting his regulars while gently rocking his baby goddaughter in his arms. Several times he'd had to assure people that he hadn't secretly reproduced, that he was merely looking after his new goddaughter. Lady followed at his heels, she was very protective of babies.

Just before he had to start his stories, he noticed a girl looking a little lost by the small crowd of parents and children. She looked a little familiar, dark brown curls and fair skin with blue-green eyes, but he was sure he'd never seen her before. She looked over at him and stopped, widening her eyes a little.

"Is everything okay here?" he approached the girl and smiled at her, gently stroking Ella's back. The girl looked taken aback, a little nervous.

"N-no. I'm good," she said in a tiny voice, "I'm okay."

She looked from Sam to Ella and back again, "Cute baby."

"She is, isn't she?" the ex-hunter chuckled, and the girl gasped as Lady jumped up at her to greet her, "Hey, get down. I told you it's rude to jump."

"It's okay," the girl giggled, scratching Lady's ears, "She's cute too."

"She certainly thinks so," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Anyway, I've got some stories to read. Feel free to come watch if you want to watch me make a fool of myself. Otherwise just enjoy browsing, one of my colleagues can help you if you need it."

"Thank you," she smiled a little shyly. She ended up sat at the back, behind all the moms and dads and kids. He sure seemed a little nervous but all the moms found it adorable. He wasn't like she'd pictured him. She hadn't expected him to be so nice. His dog was sat beside him, looking up at him and hanging onto his every word. She clearly adored him, she reminded her a little of her own dog she'd grown up with. She missed him. He'd made home life so much more bearable.

Sam was pretty happy with himself, he didn't feel like he'd embarrassed himself too much. He handed out cookies to all the families, ensuring to save one for the girl he'd seen watching from the back.

"How did I do?" he smirked.

"Good. Really good," she nodded, taking the cookie, "Thanks."

"Thank _you_ ," Sam smiled at her, "Have a good day, alright?"

"Yeah. You too," the girl smiled back a little nervously, heading for the young adult section and hiding in the aisles.

Sam was happy to receive many compliments on his storytelling, including Jake running at him for a hug.

"What were you worried about?" Amanda laughed, "You did great! You'll be competing with Brenda now."

"I don't think so, I wouldn't dare take her storytelling from her," Sam ran a hand through his hair, looking at Jake, "Are you gonna pick out some books to take home?"

"Actually…I was hoping you could watch them for, I don't know, an hour?" Amanda said hopefully, "I just need to run some things to David at work. He's snowed under. I'll be as quick as I can. They'll be on their best behaviour. I'll leave my bag of their stuff if they need anything."

Sam too was a little snowed under, with them being short and the library a little busy. He had some paperwork to do, he had to let Marie and June take their breaks. But Amanda had always been there to help him since he'd first arrived in this town, and he could never bring himself to turn down an opportunity to help her in return.

"No problem," he nodded, looking to Jake, "You gonna help me at work, buddy?"

"Yeah! I can help!" Jake grinned excitedly.

"Thank you so much. Really, you're a lifesaver," Amanda smiled, passing her baby to Sam again and bringing the pram over so Sam could put her in it if he needed to, "I'll be back as soon as I can! I'll see you soon, Jakey."

"Bye, Momma," Jake waved, "What shall we do, Uncle Sammy?"

"We can go help people check out their books," Sam beckoned him, carrying Ella with his good arm and pulling the pram behind him with the other. Lady trotted after him, and Jake followed behind.

"It appears you've acquired a baby," June remarked, a small smile on her face.

"Babysitting," Sam looked to Ella, then back at June, "Go take your break. I've got this."

He sat at the desk with Ella in one arm and Jake sat beside him, "helping" Sam by drawing pictures. Lady was curled up in her bed under the desk. The girl was wandering around, she kept looking over at him but quickly looking away the moment they had eye contact. Sam felt compelled to ask again if she was alright, she didn't seem to have come to the library to, well, use the library. Instead she just seemed to be hovering, waiting for something. It made Sam a little uneasy, but he was too polite to intrude.

"Oh! How precious do you look?" Marie cooed, "Little Ella is so lucky to have you for a godfather. And Jake too!"

"Uncle Sammy is great!" Jake piped up before going back to focusing on his drawings.

"That he is," Marie said proudly, "Oh Sam, it really isn't too late to start a family of your own."

"With who?" Sam laughed, "Besides, I have this troublemaker to keep me busy."

He gestured to Lady, who looked up at him and started to wag her tail.

"I'm sure I could find you a nice lady…"

"No, no thank you," Sam smiled, "Honestly, Marie. I'm good. I'm happy, and that's what I care about. I don't know if I'd even be a good father."

"Don't be silly, sweetheart. You've been wonderful with everyone's children," Marie put an arm around him and smiled at Ella.

Time went painfully slowly until closing, and Sam was glad to lock up once the last visitor – the girl he'd talked to – had left. She seemed almost cautious to leave, like she didn't know where to go. Sam was concerned, but she insisted she was just fine. Marie promised to bring round dinner for him as soon as she could, telling him he'd definitely earned his apple pie after that day. It had been busy all day, but luckily most of the mess had been tidied up already so there wasn't much left for Sam to do. Lady did her last check of the place, barking when she found a book on the floor, and finally they went home. Sam half-collapsed on the couch, his leg aching a little. On occasion, his missing limb would appear to cause him pain, something which was entirely normal but extremely frustrating to him. Nothing he could do would stop it, he just had to ride it out. He laid on the couch, exhausted and hoping it would calm down pretty quickly. Lady sat beside him, licking his arm and watching him closely.

"Life wouldn't be half as bearable without you," Sam murmured, reaching out and stroking Lady. She bounded away for a second, only to return with her moose toy, which she dropped by his face and wagged her tail.

"You have terrible breath," he chuckled sleepily, "I can smell it on your moose."

Lady sat in front of him once again, just watching over him. Sam watched his dog's face, her eyes bright and focused on him. She looked so happy, Sam felt tears filling his eyes. He couldn't describe how much his Lady meant to him, he couldn't imagine life without her anymore. He moved up on the couch, giving her space so she jumped up and laid beside him, pawing at his hand until he held her paw gently.

"I've gotcha," he smiled at her lovingly.

He was happy where he was. After thirty-five years of hunting, loss and sacrifice, he was happy that he life was so simple now. A little town, a nice job in a place he loved, a nice house. He knew almost everyone in the town and he was pretty loved amongst the people. He was first known jokingly as Eleanor's boy toy. Later he was known for running the library, a job he adored. It was the kind of library he'd dreamed of as a child, it was big, a large section just for kids and seemingly endless shelves. As soon as he was promoted to running the place he turned the children's section into what he'd wanted when he was younger. He painted the walls, even got the local elementary involved by getting them to paint their favourite characters, he made more displays and bought a bunch of bean bags and other things to get comfortable and read on. Even some paper and crayons for drawing, which he'd put up on the walls regularly. He made the place into his own and he was so proud of it. He had so many people supporting him and looking out for him too. Hell, he even had godchildren! What happened ten years ago, although still a mystery to him, was considered a blessing to Sam. Through it, he found a home.

 **Hey! Thanks for reading! Sorry if the start is a little slow, I wanted to show how different Sam's life is compared to his hunting life! It'll pick up! Please leave a review! 3**


	2. Chapter 2

A knock at the door woke Sam up from his nap. Or rather, Lady starting to bark and jumping off the couch startled him awake. The dog ran to the door and back to Sam, nudging him with her nose and running in circles.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Sam chuckled, she always freaked out at a knock at the door. He scratched her ears gently and reattached his leg, heading over to the door.

"Oh, there you are! I thought you were never going to answer!" Marie laughed as Lady jumped up at her, "Careful, Lady!"

"Lady, sit," Sam said sternly, "Be polite."

Lady sat obediently, looking up at her best friend with her tail wagging.

"I was just taking a nap," Sam went to take the glass dish from Marie, but she tutted and went past him into the kitchen.

"Well, you were a little rushed off your feet today, you earned that sleep," she smiled at him lovingly, placing the food down beside the fridge, "We'll have to find more staff."

"Understatement," Sam smirked, "We'll manage for now."

"I hope so. As long as you don't overwork yourself, my duck," Marie put her arm around him.

"I'm fine," Sam laughed, "Honestly, Marie, it can be crazy but I love my job. I dreamed of this kind of thing when I was a kid."

"Bless your heart," Marie gave him a squeeze, "I'm so proud of you. She would be too."

"I'd like to think she would," Sam smiled wistfully, "I'm sad she never got to see it."

"At least Amanda has, and your godchildren," Marie took some dog treats from her bag and knelt down to give them to Lady. The dog took them eagerly and held up her paw, "Oh, Sam does have you well trained, doesn't he?"

"She's definitely learned manners," Sam laughed, "You should shake her paw, she won't be happy until you have."

Sure enough, Lady let out a cry, her tail wagging as she changed to her other paw.

"Well, alright," Marie smiled lovingly, reaching and shaking her paw, "You're so polite!"

Marie stood up again, patting Sam's back, "I'll leave you to eat in peace, sweetheart. Have an early night, alright? Get some sleep."

"Yes, ma'am," Sam pulled her into a hug, "Thank you."

"I brought you some pie, as promised," Marie pointed to the extra box, "Do you have any ice cream? It's great with ice cream. I just didn't want to put ice cream on it right away because it'd melt and…"

"I got some. Don't you worry. I'll enjoy it to the fullest," Sam grinned, "Go get some rest. I'll see you in a couple days."

"You too, Sam. I mean it. Don't overwork yourself," she said sternly, "Make sure he sleeps, Lady."

Marie had cooked him so much food that half of it ended up in the refrigerator, and some of it was in Lady's bowl. He placed it up on the dining table beside him, at least he could feel like he was having a family meal.

"Don't get used to it," Sam chuckled, "You're not getting human food every day."

Lady looked at him briefly before going back to her meal. He followed suit, Marie always made the best meals. He'd have to invite her and her husband over for dinner soon in return. Putting the apple pie in the fridge, unable to stomach it after his meal, he washed up his plate and picked up Lady's leash.

"C'mon, girl. An evening walk sound good?" Sam laughed as the dog jumped from the dining chair excitedly, "I'm not ready to sleep yet."

The pair set out for a walk, Lady trotting ahead eagerly with her tail wagging. They didn't go far, just around the block. Someone walked past them at a quick pace, a girl who turned the corner ahead. A guy shoved past Sam, following after the girl. Sam frowned in concern, quickening his pace a little, breaking into a run when he heard a scream.

"Let me go!" the girl cried out, struggling against the man's grip. Lady growled, pulling on the leash.

"Hey!" Sam yelled, attempting to free the girl, but his weakened arm didn't cooperate. The man shoved him, sending Sam falling to the floor with a grunt of pain. His missing limb started throbbing unbearably, leaving him struggling to get to his feet. Lady snarled, leaping up at Sam's attacker and barking viciously. The commotion caused him to let the girl go and flee, and once he was out of sight Lady whimpered and turned her attention back to Sam, licking his face and nudging him with her paw.

"Are you okay?" the girl said in a terrified voice, "D- sir?"

Sam tried to push himself up but his arm gave way, so she took his arm and helped him to stand, "Thanks. More importantly, are _you_ alright?"

The girl started to cry, wrapping her arms around herself and shaking her head, "He just kept following me."

"He's gone now, alright?" Sam said reassuringly, putting his hand on her shoulder reassuringly, "Come inside. I live right around the corner. So you can calm down."

The girl was hesitant, staring at the floor nervously before nodding. He led her inside, letting Lady off her leash and taking off his jacket.

"Hey, it's you," Sam started to smile, "You were in my library today."

The girl nodded shyly, taking off her hat, which had concealed her dark curls, "I was."

"Well, welcome," Sam nodded to her, wincing, "Help yourself to water or anything in the fridge, I need to sit down a moment."

Lady jumped onto the couch and laid beside her best friend, her head on his knee, whining softly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the girl asked, "You looked like you couldn't get up."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little pain, that's all," Sam kissed the dog's head when she looked up at him.

"Well…okay," she said with uncertainty, heading to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Lady looked from Sam to the kitchen door curiously.

"Go on, go make sure our guest is alright," Sam chuckled, gently pushing her from the couch. Lady ran into the kitchen, and Sam heard the girl giggle.

"Hey, puppy," she said, "You're adorable."

She came back with two glasses of water, one for herself and one for Sam. Lady sat beside Sam again, looking up at him with what Sam considered a proud expression.

"Did you show her where everything is?" he chuckled.

"She did. Pointed everything out for me," the girl smiled to herself, taking a sip of water.

Sam ran a hand through his hair, "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"I…I don't have anywhere to go," The girl said awkwardly.

"Right," Sam frowned, "Well, I have a room for the night, if you want."

"Oh…no I'm okay. I can go to a motel," the girl shrugged.

"I'd rather you be safe," Sam said with a frown, "I mean, clearly I wasn't a match for that guy, I'm not exactly dangerous."

The girl smiled a little, "Okay. If you're sure."

"I'll go set up the guest room. There's half a casserole in the fridge if you're hungry. Or other stuff, I don't know. Help yourself," Sam pushed himself up.

"Thanks, I'm not that hungry," the girl sighed, "I can help?"

"No no, you're my guest. Make yourself at home, alright?" Sam smiled at her and looked to Lady, "Look after our guest for me."

He returned to the living room once the bedroom was ready to find Lady laid across the girl's lap. The girl was smiling at her lovingly and petting her, giggling as Lady rolled over onto her back.

"Looks like you made a friend," Sam smirked, "You'll never be able to leave now."

"She's just like my dog," the girl grimaced as Lady licked her hand, "Riot."

"Riot?" Sam looked up, "I had a dog named Riot. Long time ago"

"He's dead," the girl said suddenly, eyes widening as Sam looked at her in confusion, "My dog. He died a couple years ago. He was old."

"Sorry to hear that," the ex-hunter nodded sympathetically to her, "Lady's two, she's not going anywhere soon."

There was a moment of silence before Sam broke it once again, "I never got your name, sweetheart. How old are you? You look young to be walking the streets alone."

"Mia…I'm Mia," the girl said shyly.

"Hi, Mia," Sam started to smile.

"Hi," Mia moved some hair from her face, "Mia Richardson. I'm…I'm fifteen."

"Well, Mia, it's very nice to meet you. I'm Sam Winchester," he nodded to her, "And that's Lady, but I believe you've already been introduced. If you don't mind me asking, what's a fifteen year old doing on her own out there?"

"Don't you…don't you have a baby?" Mia frowned, "You had a baby at the library. And a little boy, I think."

"Not the last time I checked," Sam laughed, "They're my godchildren. Sweet kids."

"Oh…okay," Mia shrugged, "So, no kids? No wife?"

"Nope. Just never really happened. Unless you count this one as my baby," Sam gestured toward Lady, "Some of the ladies I work with insist I should start procreating though."

"Did you want kids? Do you think you'd be a good Dad?" Mia asked. Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"Uh…never really thought about it," he sat back down, "Maybe it would have been nice, I don't know."

Mia nodded silently, unsure what else to say.

"You never answered my question," Sam turned a little serious, "What are you doing out there alone?"

"I ran away, alright?" Mia sounded a little panicked, "I ran away. And…I…I'm looking for someone."

"Who?"

"Someone," Mia said dismissively, "Just someone."

Sam decided not to press further, they were both tired and she was upset, "Well, I'd rather you be safe while looking for said someone. Stay here as long as you need to."

"Really?" Mia said a little too enthusiastically, then backtracked, "Well, thank you."

"You're welcome. I think I'd just be worrying if I let you go on your own," Sam looked at Lady, "Besides, I think someone won't want you to leave so soon."

Mia giggled and gently hugged the dog, kissing her head. Sam smiled at the pair, finishing his glass of water.

"I'm gonna take a shower. You can watch TV if you like, I got some movies too," he gestured to his TV cabinet, "Got a bunch of books over there and in my room."

"Thanks, but I think I'm just gonna take an early night," Mia got up and went to her room, Lady following at her heels, "Thank you. Y'know, for everything."

"You're welcome," Sam smiled at her, "Get some sleep."

Sam woke early the next morning despite it being his day off. Lady, as usual, was curled up asleep on the end of his bed. When he'd gone to bed, she'd been sleeping on Mia's bed. He sat up and stroked her fur, chuckling as he accidentally startled her. She let out a yelp and looked up at him before wagging her tail and clambering onto him.

"Alright, alright," Sam laughed, grimacing as she reached up and licked his face, "Ew. That's more than enough kisses, thank you."

He stayed in bed a while, the thought of a lie in sounding like the best idea in the world. He laid back down, chuckling as Lady laid beside him.

"C'mere then," Sam pulled her close, hugging his best friend carefully before letting her go and settling down to sleep a little longer. He only managed another half an hour, but it was something. Sam got up and went into the kitchen to make breakfast. While he was cooking the bacon and eggs, Lady ran into Mia's bedroom and jumped onto her bed, startling her awake. The teenage girl came into the kitchen, dark curls a mess and a sleepy expression.

"Aww, Lady, where are your manners?" Sam chuckled, "Just because you're awake doesn't mean everyone else has to be."

"It's okay," Mia shrugged, "I didn't sleep much anyway.

"All the more reason for a lie in," Sam smiled at her sympathetically, "I made breakfast if you want it."

"Sure," Mia sat at the table, "Thanks."

Her cell phone began to ring halfway through breakfast, and Mia quickly rejected the call, shoving it back in her pocket.

"Everything okay?" Sam frowned.

"I'm fine," her voice was quiet, nervous, "It doesn't matter."

Sam decided not to press further, "Well, Lady's gonna want her walk soon."

"I've missed walking Riot," Mia smiled sadly, "He made home okay."

Sam sighed and looked at her in concern, unsure what to say. Mia got up from the table.

"I'll go get dressed." she said quietly, heading back to her room. Lady went to follow her, bounding after the girl excitedly.

"Hey, c'mere," Sam chuckled, "Give the poor girl some privacy, huh?"

Lady ran past him, sniffing around until she finally returned to him with her moose, tail wagging.

"Gimme that," Sam swiped it from her easily, chuckling as Lady immediately sat, "Wait for it…"

He threw the toy for her, only a little way so she wouldn't end up crashing into something – she'd done that before – and the dog leapt into the air to catch it. And completely missed.

"Oh, you," Sam laughed, "You tried."

Mia's phone rang again, and she ran from the bedroom, half in her pyjamas and half in her clothes, to turn it off. She darted away again to finish getting ready without another word. The ex-hunter sighed and sat on the floor beside Lady.

"What's going on, uh?" he scratched her ears, kissing her head. Lady licked his nose once, as if in response. Once Mia was ready she left her room only for Lady to pick up her moose and run to her.

"Nice to see you too, Lady," the girl smiled, kneeling down to her, "What's that you've got?"

"That's her beloved moose," Sam chuckled, "She destroyed all other stuffed animals I got her, except moose."

"That's a cute moose," Mia stroked Lady's head.

They set out for their walk, Mia holding the leash, but Lady was so excited that she couldn't walk straight. She turned around constantly to see Mia, tail wagging so much she could barely walk straight.

"C'mon, she'll still be there in five seconds," Sam laughed softly, secretly hoping he didn't see anyone he knew. Only because he had no idea how to explain where this teenage girl had appeared from. He didn't even know how long she was staying.

Sam took them to the park, and immediately Lady dropped her moose at his feet.

"Go on then," he chuckled, throwing the moose for her and sitting down on his favourite bench. Lady raced after the toy, wagging her tail excitedly, pouncing on it before running and sitting beside him.

"Hey, go play," Sam took the moose from her and threw it to Mia, "Your new friend will play with you."

"Of course," Mia caught the toy, "Go get it, girl."

Mia played fetch with Lady for almost an hour, looking the happiest Sam had seen since meeting her. She hugged the dog, resting her head on Lady's with a smile. Sam couldn't help but smile with her. Mia's phone rang again, and her smile disappeared, replaced by fear. Sam couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright…what's going on?" Sam got up from the bench, "Are you in some kind of trouble?"

"We should go back," Mia mumbled, giving the moose back to Lady and walking away. Lady looked from Sam to Mia, looking a little confused, and Sam put her leash on and followed after the girl.

"Hey!" Sam called after her, but she wouldn't talk until they got back to Sam's house.

"I'm fine," Mia looked at him with tears in her eyes, "Everything's fine."

"You ran away from home, Mia, you told me that," Sam sighed, following her to her bedroom, "I just want to know you're not in any trouble, or danger for that matter."

"I'm fine," her voice cracked, unable to meet his gaze.

"Come sit down," Sam said calmly, "Let's just talk, okay?"

Eventually Mia gave in and sat on the couch, staring at the floor. Lady came and sat by her feet.

"Just tell me about yourself," Sam gave her as welcome a smile as he could

"What about you? You haven't told me much."

"Well, if you tell me about you, I'll tell you about me. Is that a deal?" Sam smirked.

"Fine," Mia shrugged, "I'm from Kermit, Texas, and…"

"Kermit?" Sam interrupted, a sudden realisation hitting him, "You said…you said you had a dog named Riot?"

"Y-yes," Mia looked nervous, but also like she expected it. Sam couldn't work out her expression.

"Richardson," Sam said under his breath, "You're fifteen."

"I know," Mia rolled her eyes, but Sam was suddenly nervous.

"Fifteen years ago…fifteen years ago I left…" he knew why she looked so familiar now. She looked almost the double of her. Except her eyes. They looked more like…

"Y-you said you were looking for someone," Sam's was shaking, "Who were you looking for? Who's been calling you?"

"Thank you for letting me stay…I should go," Mia got up suddenly and went to get her bags, but Sam stood in the doorway. He couldn't let her go. He couldn't let this girl who had showed up in town, with the same hometown, the same dog, the same last name and the striking resemblance to his girlfriend he'd left behind all those years ago. It all fell into place.

"Why here? Why this town? Why did you spend all day yesterday watching me at work?" Sam demanded, "Why do you look like her? How did you know my dog, come from the same place as her?"

"Because I was looking for you!" Mia finally broke, bursting into tears. Sam could only stare, wide-eyed. The teenager wiped her eyes.

"I was looking for my father," she let out a sob, looking up at him, "Mom said I'd never be able to find you. Guess I proved her wrong."


	3. Chapter 3

Sam stared at the girl in disbelief as she cried, reaching and petting Lady as she ran over to her.

"That's…that's impossible," he said quietly, shaking his head, "We always…"

His eyes widened a little, "Except…shit."

"Oh shit, you made me and you didn't even know," Mia wiped her eyes, "Good job."

"I'm taking you back to Amelia," Sam stood up, "We'll talk, figure something out. But I can't…"

"No!" Mia interrupted, "I'm not going back there."

"Well, I don't know how to be a Dad," Sam said a little helplessly, "I'm sorry, you have to go home."

"I can't…please," Mia let out a sob, "I can't go back."

"Your mom will be wondering where you are," Sam sighed.

"Sure she will," Mia muttered.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's dead," the fifteen-year-old looked at him straight in the eye, "Are you happy?"

Sam faltered, his chest clenching. Ever since he left her he'd never truly stopped loving her. At times he wished he'd just stayed with her – not like staying with Dean worked out very well. He had to sit down, tears in his eyes.

"How?" was all he managed to say.

"Car crash a couple months ago. I was there too, all I had was a concussion, whiplash," Mia was shaking, "I…I woke up and Mom…she was bleeding, her head...she…"

She broke down completely, hugging Lady as the dog whined and jumped up to sit beside her, nudging her gently. Lady hated it when people cried. Sam didn't know what to do with himself, he felt awful for her. He wanted to hug her but she was clearly angry with him. He wasn't entirely sure why, but at the same time he didn't blame her. What kind of asshole only discovers he's a father 15 years too late?

"I'm so sorry," he said quietly, "Mia…I didn't know…I didn't…"

"I get it. Poor you," Mia let out a whimper, "I miss her."

Sam ran a hand through his hair, staying quiet.

"You're not taking me home…not to Don," Mia looked up at him pleadingly, "Please."

"Why not? Is something wrong?" Sam frowned.

"Because he's never treated me like a daughter, and now Mom's gone he has no one to stop him anymore," Mia sounded timid, afraid. Sam leaned a little closer, his concern growing, "Even when I was a baby he wouldn't let me call him Dad. I remember being a toddler and being yelled at for calling him that. When Mom told him she was pregnant, she knew I wasn't his and…he's not exactly stupid either. The dates all came back to you but you had long disappeared."

Sam couldn't meet her gaze, ashamed and guilty.

"It was only a couple years ago she told me that she'd planned on leaving Don for you. You had some agreement to meet each other somewhere, and you never showed. She couldn't find you, get in contact. So she just went back to Don and suddenly I was a thing," Mia said bitterly, "And everything turned out this way."

"What way?" Sam asked quietly.

"Don treated us both like shit my entire life," Mia's voice shook, "Because of you. I saw him hit Mom sometimes, I saw her with bruises that she covered up or lied to me about. After she died he hit me too, not like she could stop him anymore. She didn't leave him, but she always told me how much she missed _you_. Maybe if you hadn't stood her up she'd be happy, maybe I'd be happy too."

"I'm so sorry," was all Sam could say, "At the time I felt she belonged with Don. She was so torn and I thought just removing myself from the picture was the way to go."

"Well, congrats. You fucked up," Mia looked away.

"If…If I'd known she was pregnant I would have stayed, of course I would. I'd never leave a kid," Sam shook his head.

"Well, how convenient. You say that now when it's fifteen years too late. Well, you did leave your kid," she rolled her eyes, "All because you were too proud to stay with Mom."

"Hey, that's not fair," Sam got defensive, "I wanted to stay with her, I did. But Amelia and Don were already married, I decided going with my brother was best for all of us. Well, I regret that now."

"Your brother? Mom said your brother was dead."

"And she thought Don was dead, and he wasn't," Sam sighed, "Funny how things turn out, isn't it?"

Mia nodded slightly and wrapped her arms around herself. But Sam had another question.

"If you knew about me all this time, why didn't you or Amelia try and get in contact?"

"I told you. Mom didn't think we'd even find you. She said you never picked up your phone, she knew nothing about you. You just showed up that day with Riot, you hated each other at first and then suddenly you didn't. Then Don came back and you took off, no trace."

"In my line of work…or my old line of work, disappearing was kind of in the job description," Sam shrugged, he couldn't argue with her, "Look, do you have any other family? Hey, you have a grandfather, right?"

Mia snorted, "Oh yeah, he _loved me._ He didn't like you, so he didn't like me. Didn't particularly like mom for having me either."

Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Why are you so against me staying? You didn't have a problem letting me stay _before_ you realised I'm your daughter," the girl shook her head.

"I…I don't know how to be a _Dad!_ Letting a girl stay in my guest room is different to taking in my own _daughter_ ," Sam sounded a little frantic, "I can barely take care of myself!"

"I don't need you to be Dad of the year," Mia sniffled, "I just need to be away from there. Please."

The ex-hunter looked at her sadly, "We'll see how things go, okay? Take it a day at a time."

"Really?" her face lit up a little, and Sam nodded, smiling sympathetically at her.

"I think someone doesn't want you to leave so soon," he chuckled at Lady lying across her lap, gently licking Mia's hand. Mia looked at the dog lovingly, kissing her head.

"I love you too, Lady."

Sam winced and pushed himself up off the couch, his missing limb causing him pain. Lady jumped from Mia's knee and ran to him, seemingly concerned.

"Are you okay?" Mia frowned, getting up and following him as he limped towards his room.

"Yeah…it'll pass," Sam said quietly, picking up his packet of painkillers. He was prescribed them for his phantom limb pain, they were strong but didn't work that well. He swallowed one tablet with some water and went to sit back down.

"Are you sure?" Mia sat back on the couch, watching Lady sit beside Sam, sat up and watching him closely.

"Yeah, just…don't freak out, okay?"

"Okay…?" Mia didn't know what he meant, until he took off his prosthetic leg and placed it on the floor. The fifteen-year old widened her eyes a little, "Mom never mentioned…"

"That's because fifteen years ago I had two legs. It's okay, taking this off helps sometimes," Sam raised an eyebrow, "Hey, I'm sorry I got so mad. It's been a crazy week, I haven't slept much. And the damn part of my leg that isn't there anymore causes me pain when I'm stressed. My arm hasn't been behaving either."

Lady gently licked his pant leg, and Sam reached to pet her lovingly.

"What happened?" Mia asked quietly.

Sam sighed, and Mia realised her mistake, "I'm sorry. You don't have to tell me."

"No, no, a deal's a deal. You tell me about you and I'll tell you about me," he said, "My old line of work, me and my brother worked together, it was a dangerous gig, y'know?"

"What did you do?" Mia frowned, but Sam shook his head.

"That doesn't matter. What matters it about five years after I left…left your mom, I got hurt. I don't remember any of it. I just woke up in the hospital in this town and, well, my brother was gone," he shrugged, tears pricking his eyes, "I was in that hospital on my own, in and out of consciousness for a long time and my brother just took off. Left me $100, a duffle of clothes, but my phone and credit cards were gone. I tried calling but he disconnected his phone. And then there was the matter of what happened to me.

They said my leg was completely ravaged, the muscle torn up and a mess. They'd never seen anything like it. And my arm, it's was pretty torn up too," Sam held up his weak arm, "Damaged the nerves, it's never been the same since. I can barely use it."

He sighed and looked at his leg, "It didn't take long before my leg got infected. It was so exposed and difficult to dress. I don't even want to know what it looked like. I got sick, really sick. I was so pumped full of pain meds that I was barely conscious the entire time. They had no other choice, it just had to go."

"And your brother just left you?" Mia frowned, "Some brother."

"Apparently so," Sam sighed, "The nurses said he'd stayed a while, wouldn't leave my side. Suddenly he just left, gave them my insurance details and disappeared. The first thing I remember is waking up, I think it was a week after my surgery, I don't know, with no idea where I was, what day it was, what happened. And my lower left leg was gone, my right arm bandaged up."

Mia looked at her father sadly, he looked so much smaller and vulnerable opening up about his past. Lady stood up and laid across his lap, licking his hand gently.

"Everyone at the hospital asked me if I was okay and I said yes just so I could be left alone. But adjusting to my brother disappearing, losing my leg and most of the use of my arm were big changes, y'know? I was scared, I had no idea what to do or where to go once I was released from there. Every day was just a day closer to having to leave and find my own way. It was when my main nurse sat down and asked me if I was _really_ okay that I broke. I just felt helpless. Got sent off for therapy which helped. Still had no idea where I was going.

But that nurse, her name's Amanda, she helped me out. She was the nicest of all the nurses, she helped me practise walking on my new leg every single day. When I was discharged she took me to her grandmother's house. She'd been looking for someone to care for her and offered me the job if I wanted it, I could live in her grandmother's guest room. I wasn't sure to begin with, I mean, I've never looked after anyone before. But Eleanor was so kind and welcoming, and she was still reasonably independent. She just needed someone to help her out with chores, take her out to her hospital appointments if needed and generally keep her company. I took the job, it was the least I could do in return for how much Amanda helped me.

Eleanor looked after me too, she was a great listener and so supportive. She was the kindest lady I'd ever met, she got me a job at the library on weekends, she became like a grandmother to me. She just kind of integrated me into her family, introduced me to everyone. Everyone joked I was her boy toy."

Sam's expression fell, "She passed away five years ago. Had a stroke in her sleep. Just went into her room one morning and she was gone."

Sam's voice cracked, some tears falling. Lady reached up and licked his jaw, and he wiped his eyes furiously.

"I'm so sorry," Mia said quietly.

"It was like all hope had gone when it happened," Sam shrugged lightly, "She helped me get back on my feet, her and Amanda did. I had no idea what to do. Amanda said I could stay in the house as long as I needed, but I also couldn't bear it. But Eleanor left me $30,000 to me. I don't know how I deserved that."

"You must have meant a lot to her."

"I don't think she had much family. Amanda said she was all she really had left. And Eleanor always said how much I reminded her of her son, who passed away quite young," Sam scratched Lady's ears and stroked her fur as she nudged him, laying back down on him and going back to licking his hand, "I put down a deposit on a place with the money, went full time at the library, managed to work my way up to the top there."

He looked at Lady with a smile, "And two years ago I found a little abandoned puppy in the park, soaked to the skin. A tiny little thing, very thin. I took her to the vet and then she came home with me, and she never left. She's a beautiful lady now, my best friend. I have my godchildren, Amanda's kids, I have my job, my dog, I help out at the elementary school sometimes. Everything worked out in the end. I'd go as far to say that I'm grateful to Dean for leaving me behind."

Mia was crying, "I'm sorry."

"Hey, for what?" Sam kissed Lady's head as she pawed at him playfully.

"I wanted to hate you. My whole life I've blamed everything on you, I thought you were just some jerk who broke my mom's heart, the reason why Don and my grandfather treated me and mom so bad. But you're not," Mia cried, "I wanted to find you to prove you were the bad person I imagined you to be. But as soon as I showed up at the library you were nothing but nice, then you helped me when that guy was following me and you let me stay so I was safe and…"

"I get it," Sam shrugged, "I deserve to be hated. I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you, or Amelia. I just didn't know, I didn't even think."

"But how could you have known?" Mia sniffled, "It's not your fault."

"I guess," Sam cracked a smile, gently pushing Lady from his knee and chuckling as she trotted over to his leg and brought it to him. He stood up, yelping and almost losing his balance as Mia suddenly hugged him, crying into him. It took a few moments before he hugged her back, stroking her back, "I'll do my best, okay?"

The girl looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with tears.

"I have _no_ idea what I'm doing," Sam chuckled, "But I'll do my best."


	4. Chapter 4

Sam woke in the middle of the night to Lady jumping onto his bed. Like the night before, she'd followed Mia into her room and fallen asleep on her bed. It seemed now the dog couldn't make her mind up who she wanted to stay with at night. She laid beside him, placing her moose in front of her, reaching and sniffing his face. She licked his nose gently, and Sam couldn't help but laugh.

"What?" he opened his eyes, startling the dog and rolling onto her back, "What are you doing?"

Lady looked at him, eyes glistening in the dark, still on her back.

"It's 1am and you want a belly rub?" Sam yawned, "Really?"

The dog wagged her tail, and Sam pushed himself up, "I spoil you."

Lady yawned and settled down right beside Sam, looking at her with wide puppy eyes.

"What?" Sam chuckled, stroking her back gently, "What's up with you?"

The dog licked his face again, moving closer to him.

"Everything's a bit different, huh?" Sam scratched her ears, "You're not used to someone else being here."

Lady leaned into his hand, her ears pricked.

"It's okay. We've all got to comes to terms with this," Sam kissed the dog's head, and she rested her head on his chest, nudging him with her paw.

"Give me some space," Sam laughed pushed her away gently, "Go to sleep."

Lady curled up beside him, watching him closely as he stroked her back. He fell asleep with his hand on his best friend, only to wake up to her barking at his alarm.

"Okay, okay," Sam groaned, turning off the alarm, "Guess it's back to work for us."

He got into the kitchen, Lady following at his heels, only to find Mia already up and dressed and making breakfast.

"Good morning," Sam raised an eyebrow, "I should be doing that."

"You got some bombshell news yesterday. Leave it to me," Mia smirked, placing the omelettes on the plate, "Mom…she told me you liked these."

"She talked about me a lot, didn't she?" Sam smiled sadly.

"She missed you," Mia shrugged, "Is Lady allowed some bacon?"

Lady recognised the word and her tail started wagging, jumping up at the work surface

"Hey, get your paws off there," Sam laughed, "As you can see, she _loves_ bacon. And she'll love you even more if she gets some."

The dog immediately sat down, raising her paw.

"She likes working for her treats," Sam smirked, "I think you should ask nicely first."

He gestured an upward motion to Lady, and she raised both paws, sitting up on her back legs.

"You're so smart!" Mia knelt down and gave her some bacon, which Lady immediately wolfed down. She got to her feet and handed Sam his plate.

"Thanks," Sam nodded to her, "This is great."

"I had to cook a lot as a kid," Mia said quietly, as if someon was listening, "Sometimes Don wouldn't give me dinner."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that. We can order pizza later, if you want," Sam ran a hand through his greying hair.

"I like the sound of that," Mia started to smile.

"I have to work today. Do you want to come with me? You don't have to work, you can sit and read, if you want. Or you can stay here, I have Netflix and stuff, I don't know," Sam shrugged a little, "Up to you. Lady always comes to work with me."

"I'll come with you," Mia nodded, "I don't mind helping out. I like libraries. Yours is really nice."

"Thanks. I'm proud of it," Sam slipped Lady a little piece of omelette, "We could use all the help we can get. I just need to work out what to tell the girls…"

"What do you mean?"

"I told you about them, right? The ladies that work with me, they're just nonstop telling me to settle down, have kids. And now I'm bringing my daughter into work. They're gonna go nuts," Sam cracked a smile, "I'll warn you now, they're not gonna leave you alone. They'll probably ask you every question under the sun. The offer to stay here is still open."

"Well…you'll have to tell them about me sometime," Mia said timidly, nervous just at the thought of all the attention, "They'll just be happy for you, won't they?"

"I'm assuming so," Sam chuckled, "You might get a lot of hugs."

"I'll prepare myself," Mia smiled to herself, and Sam yelped as his dog jumped up onto his knee.

"What are you doing?" he chuckled, stroking her gently, "What's wrong?"

"Is she okay?" Mia frowned.

"I think she's just confused," Sam kissed his dog's head, "She's used to it just being me and her, I guess she doesn't know what to do with herself now we have a guest."

"I'm sorry, Lady," Mia pouted, "I'm not mean, I promise."

"She'll be okay. She just gets anxious sometimes," Sam scratched her ears, "Don't you, girl?"

Lady licked his nose, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're too big to be sitting on me," Sam laughed, "When she was a puppy and recovering from being out starving in the cold, she'd come to work with me every day so I could still take care of her. She'd cry if I didn't take her with me and if she wasn't on my knee when I was sat down. I had to carry her everywhere. Luckily she was tiny enough to be carried."

"She loves you a lot, I can tell," Mia reached and stroked Lady's head, "Hopefully she'll get used to me being here. I don't want her to be scared."

"She'll be okay. She likes you," the ex-hunter gave his dog a gentle hug, and she jumped from his knee, "We'd better take her out for her walk before we head to the library."

Immediately, Lady ran and grabbed her leash, dragging it to her best friend with her tail wagging so hard she could barely move.

"She's smart," Mia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, she knows her favourite words," Sam laughed, picking up the leash, "Bacon, walkies, B-A-T-H. She'll run and hide if I say the latter."

Lady cried, her tail wagging as she put her paw on hs hand.

"I know, I know," Sam scratched her ears, "Go get your moose. Where's your moose?"

Lady bounded away and returned with her moose, so Sam attached her leash. The three of them set off towards the park, Lady trotting ahead eagerly.

"Up bright and early, I see!" Marie cooed from behind them once they were in the park, and Lady ran to greet her, dropping her moose in the process, "Hello, Lady, sweetheart! You look very pretty today, as always."

"She loves her morning walks," Sam chuckled, kneeling to pick up the stuffed animal. Marie smiled at him and finally noticed the teenage girl, "Are you okay there, deary? Did you need something?"

"Oh, um…" Mia shifted her weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"She's, uh, she's with me," Sam looked at Mia.

"Say that again?" Marie looked mildly concerned.

"I'll explain everything at the library, okay? It's a…long story," Sam ran a hand through his hair. Marie went to press further but decided against it, it could wait.

"Well, I'll see you later, then," Marie squeezed his hand gently and went on her way.

"She seemed worried," Mia said quietly.

"Well, wouldn't you be if the forty-something, permanently single man you work with suddenly has a teenage girl with him?" Sam chuckled, "It's okay, I'll explain."

The three of them got to the library, and once they put their stuff away, Sam let Lady off her leash so she could inspect the place.

"She needs a little "library assistant" shirt," Mia grinned, "That'd be adorable."

"She'd love the attention, that's for sure," Sam nodded, "She's a funny girl."

"She won't be anxious about me staying for long, will she?" the 15-year-old asked nervously, "I mean, its her home. I don't want her to be scared in her own home."

"She'll be fine," Sam nodded, "She's probably worried she's being replaced."

"I don't think she could ever be replaced," Mia smirked, just as Lady ran to them with a teddy bear in her mouth.

"What did you find?" Sam chuckled, picking up the bear as she dropped it at his feet, "Must have been left behind yesterday. Best put it away before Lady decides its hers."

"Good morning!" Marie smiled at them, "Well, again. Oh, do we have a helper today?"

"We do," Sam looked at Mia, "Hey, uh, do you want to go put back those returns?"

He gestured to the returns cart, and Mia nodded.

"Sure," she said a little shyly, "I mean, I might take a while…"

"That's okay. You'll get used to where everything is," Sam gave her a reassuring smile, "Just ask if you get stuck."

Once Mia was out of sight, Marie dragged Sam into the office.

"Did you kidnap a teenage girl? Are you dating a teenage girl? I mean, Sam, I know what I've been telling you to settle down but now I'm just concerned-"

"Okay, slow down," Sam laid a hand on her shoulder, "No, I haven't kidnapped anyone, nor have I started dating way below my age group."

"Oh, thank god," Marie sighed, "You had me worried there. Though…that still doesn't explain why you suddenly have a teenage girl."

"Yeah, well," Sam said a little nervously, "You're gonna freak out."

"Oh, just tell me! I'm too old for this suspense!"

"She's my daughter," he blurted out a little loudly, and Marie let out a quiet gasp.

"Did you adopt? Oh, Sam…"

"No, I didn't," Sam sighed, "I…I had a relationship years ago. Ended kinda messy, I took off…didn't know she was pregnant."

"All this time and you didn't tell us?"

"I didn't know. When I left I made myself disappear. No trace, no contact. It made it so much easier for me," Sam was getting tearful, "And fifteen years later my daughter shows up."

"Oh, Sam," Marie wiped his tears away.

"I left them in an abusive home," Sam shook his head, "Amelia went back to her husband, and thanks to me he treated her and my daughter terribly. I could have been there, I could have been happy with them."

He stared at the floor sadly, "Its my fault."

"Come here," Marie pulled him into a hug, "Now you listen, Sam. You mustn't blame yourself. You didn't know. You were hurting. But now you know. Now you have a beautiful daughter, and, Amelia, you said her name was? You can see her again."

"Amelia's dead. That's why Mia found me," Sam sniffed, running a hand through his hair, "She was so angry at me."

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm sure she didn't mean it," Marie squeezed his hand, "Now's your chance to show her what an amazing man you are. Make up for all that lost time."

"I don't know how to be a father," Sam said forlornly.

"Sam, I don't think any father does," the old lady raised an eyebrow, "But you're lucky, you've entirely skipped out the diapers and the spit up, the sleepless nights. How old is she?"

"Fifteen."

"Well, maybe you'll get some attitude. But she seems like a lovely girl. She's beautiful, Sam. She looks just like you," Marie sighed happily, "She's got your eyes."

"She looks like her mom," Sam smiled sadly, wiping his eyes. Lady jumped up at him, pawing at him gently, "And this one I think is afraid of being replaced."

"Aww, Lady. No one could ever replace you," Marie stroked the dogs back gently, "You'll always be Sam's very best friend."

"She's been jumping on my knee and cuddling up to me in bed," Sam chuckled, scratching Lady's ears, "She'll calm down. It's all just a bit new to her."

"Oh, Sam, I'm so happy for you," Marie hugged him again, "You'll be a great father, I know you will. It might take some getting used to but she's a very lucky girl to have you."

"Thank you," Sam hugged her close.

"Take a half day, okay? We'll be fine. Go get to know her," Marie smiled at him, eyes sparking, "Give Lady a chance to adjust."

"Oh, no I couldn't," Sam shook his head.

"No, no. I used to be your boss, Sam Winchester, I used to manage this place. You still do as I say.," Marie patted his back, "You three are leaving at 1pm whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Sam grinned, "But you'd better call if you need us."

They went back out to find June talking to Mia, and Lady went ahead to greet them.

"Sam, is it true?" June said in slight disbelief, "This is your daughter?"

"Yeah…it's true," Sam smiled awkwardly, "I'm sure Marie will fill you in."

"Isn't she beautiful? She's got his eyes, I bet she's a clever girl too, just like our Sam. Oh, and look how much Lady loves her. You'll fit in here perfectly, my duck," Marie cooed at the teenage girl, who smiled shyly but didn't know how to respond.

"C'mon, Marie. Let's get the last few things set up before people show up. You're scaring the poor thing," June gave Mia a gentle smile before looking to Sam, "I know you have paperwork to do. Off you go, get it done."

"Especially as he's only here until one!" Marie called as she went to set up the check-out desk. June followed her, leaving Sam, Lady and Mia alone.

"I put all the books back," Mia's voice was quiet, still shy.

"Wow, very quick for your first time," Sam smirked, "C'mon, June's right. I _do_ have paperwork."

"They're nice," Mia fingercombed her hair as they made their way to Sam's office, "A little, erm…but nice."

"I know what you mean," Sam chuckled, "You'll get used to i. They're just excited that I actually have a daughter."

"I hope so," Mia smiled timidly, giggling as Lady jumped up at her.

"Hey, what have I told you about jumping?" Sam said to the dog, raising an eyebrow, "It's rude."

Mia sat on the floor in his office stroking Lady's fur lovingly.

"Sometimes she has the best manners I've ever seen a dog have. Others she really doesn't," Sam shook his head in amusement, "I think she's just trying to reassure you right now, though."

"I think so too," Mia kissed the dog's head, "You're a good girl, aren't you?"

Lady's tail wagged faster, and she licked Mia's nose.

"Oh, she knows that word. She'll do everything she can to prove she's a good girl," Sam laughed, "We know, Lady. We know you're the best girl."

"Riot would have loved her," Mia smiled sadly, "He was there for me for as long as I could remember."

Sam sat himself down at his desk, handing Mia a couple treats to give Lady.

"Mom said she met you thanks to Riot," she gave the dog a treat when she sat down and held out her paw.

"Yeah…I hit him," Sam ran a hand through his hair.

"You came running into her surgery pretty hysterical, yelling at the receptionist," Mia looked up at him with a small smile.

"Well, yeah," Sam shrugged, "I just wanted him to be okay. I'd been about to…I…"

"About to what?" Mia frowned.

"It doesn't matter," Sam sighed, "I hadn't been thinking, I was in a bad place, and then Riot just ran out. Sort of gave me the kick up the ass I needed. Guess he kinda saved my life in that way."

"Then Mom hated you. Thought you were stalking her," Mia giggled as Lady reached up to give her kisses. She pushed her nose away gently. Sam smiled wistfully.

"So many times I thought about how different things would be if I hadn't left her," he quickly tapped out the password on his computer, "Guess I could have been raising my daughter with her. Had a proper family. Given my kid everything I never had."

"I'd always wanted someone to play princess with," Mia grinned. Sam couldn't help but laugh, but his smile quickly faded.

"Boy did I screw that up," he opened up a file and took a brief look at it. It was unnecessarily long. Just some formalities he had to send to city hall, but boring as hell.

"Don't think like that," Mia sighed, stroking Lady's fur, "Please. What I said before, it was stupid. You and mom were both struggling…I understand why you went back to your brother. Even if he did end up doing what he did. It just sucks that things turne out this way."

"I want to do whatever I can to make it up to you," Sam said seriously, "I've missed fifteen years."

"Just getting to know my real father is enough right now," Mia gently hugged Lady, "And his adorable doggy."

The three of them left the library at one, as promised, Lady pulling eagerly on her leash.

"Alright, alright," Sam chuckled, "Go wait outside with her before she explodes with excitement, I've gotta grab our lunches."

He got outside to find Mia surrounded by four of Marie and June's friends, Lady unsure who to greet first.

"Oh, look at you! She really does look like him."

"Those eyes, she's got his beautiful eyes."

"Oh, sweetheart, you're a very lucky girl!"

"Um…" Sam smirked, he could see they were overwhelming Mia a little, "Can I help you ladies?"

"Sam, how could you keep this from us all?" Marie's cousin, Jane, stroked Lady's fur as she jumped up to greet her.

"Well...it's kind of news to me," Sam chuckled.

"Didn't you listen to Marie, Jane? He didn't know he'd got that nice lady pregnant!"

"Silly boy, he's always so organised."

"Okay, okay," Sam took the leash from Mia – Lady was getting a little overexcited – and put his hand on Mia's shoulder. He could see she was turning in on herself, getting anxious, "We gotta get going."

Before they could argue, Sam led Lady and Mia away, ignoring the protests from behind him. The three of them walked in complete silence for a few minutes, only the sound of Lady's leash clinking as she trotted eagerly ahead of them.

"I'm so sorry," the ex-hunter finally broke the silence, "I shouldn't have sent you outside on your own."

"It's okay," Mia looked up at him, "Really, it is."

"They're just excited," Sam shrugged lightly, "And most of them don't have much tact."

"Well, yeah," Mia smirked, "But you're being way too hard on yourself, you're acting like I got attacked or something. I'm fine."

"Well, that's what matters, I guess," Sam cracked a smile.

"Does this mean I have, what, twenty grandmas now?"

Sam laughed, taking out his key as they got back home, "Certainly seems like it."

"I've never had a grandma before," Mia giggled as Lady dragged Sam inside, tail wagging excitedly, "Want me to get her off the leash?"

"Not until the door's closed," Sam raised an eyebrow, "She's a good girl but she does enjoy bolting out the door if it's open."

"And she can run fast," Mia shut the door and unhooked Lady's leash, laughing as the dog bounded around the room, "She's the happiest dog I've ever seen."

"She really is," Sam chuckled, taking Lady's little lunch bag of kibble and pouring it into her bowl. Lady almost crashed into the wall running to her food, wolfing it down and sending pieces flying everywhere, "So ladylike."

The pair settled on the couch to eat their lunch, Lady sitting between them staring longingly at their food. She let out whimper, resting her nose on Sam's leg and looking up at him.

"Not for you," Sam scratched her ears, "Half your kibble is on the floor, go clean up your mess."

Lady reached and sniffed the other half of Sam's sandwich, until he pushed her nose away.

"I don't want your nose in my food, thank you," he shook his head, taken a little piece of ham from the sandwich, and feeding it to her, "That's all you're getting."

"She can have the rest of mine, I'm not that hungry," Mia took the ham from the remainder of her sandwich.

"She acts like I don't feed her," Sam chuckled, handing his daughter the remote, "I've got Netflix if you want to pick something out. Lady loves watching TV so she's not picky at all."

They put their plates aside, and Lady took it upon herself to lie across Sam's lap. Mia flicked through the various shows and movies, stopping at one. Star Wars. She didn't select it, instead she just stared at it. As if reading the description over and over.

"Mia?"

"Sorry, I just…" Mia went to select it, it was her favourite after all, but she couldn't at the same time.

"Is everything okay?"

Mia nodded, her eyes sparkling "This was my favourite thing to watch with my mom."

Sam smiled at her sadly, unsure what to say.

"She…she didn't really like sci fi, stuff like that. I'd never really seen one before," Mia shrugged, "But one day Don was being especially…"

She shuddered, "And so she took me out. But it was the evening, not many places were open. So she took me to the movie theater. They were playing old movies. The first Star Wars being one…I was, I don't know, eight. And we both just kinda fell in love with it. It was an escape. We used to watch them all the time."

Sam couldn't help but smile, resting his weak hand on Lady and allowing her to lick it gently, "We can watch it if you want to."

"It feels wrong…watching it without her. It was our thing. Got us through horrible times. We kept it secret from Don, we didn't want him ruining it," Mia stopped for breathe but ended up bursting into tears. Instantly Lady jumped up and went to her new friend, whining and pawing at her.

"I miss her," the fifteen-year-old said forlornly, "I wish I could tell her I found you. I wish I could have brought her with me. We could all be together and happy."

"Me too," Sam ran a hand through his hair, "I wish I could have seen her again."

"I never really got to say goodbye," Mia shrugged, "Don had the funeral when I was still in the hospital, he didn't tell me. Got my Grandpa yelling at me for not bothering to show up."

"I'm so sorry," Sam let out a soft sigh, "That's awful."

And then he got an idea, "I'll take you to Kermit…"

"But you said!" Mia interrupted, wide-eyed.

"Let me finish," Sam's voice was calm, "We'll go see her grave. Both of us can say goodbye properly. And then we'll come back home."

"O-okay," Mia nodded, "As long as Don doesn't show up."

"I'll try and make sure that won't happen," Sam reassured her, "I don't particularly want to see him either."

Mia shifted across the couch, pushing Lady from her knee, hugging her father close. She rested her head on his chest, tears still trickling down her cheeks.

"Thank you," she whispered, hesitating a moment, "Dad."

Sam looked at her with a soft smile, wrapping his arms around her and gently stroking her back, "You're welcome."

Mia reached for the remote, which Lady almost sat on when she jjumped back onto the couch – she wasn't pleased about feeling left out again - , and put Star Wars on, "Mom would want you to love it too."

 **Thank you so much for reading! Will update ASAP. Please leave a review! :)**


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